At Chicago Wedding DJs we’re always looking for new ideas to share with you. This is out of the box (well really out of a truck), creative, unique, quirky, and fun.
Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=199777
Story Retrieval Date: 2/3/2012 12:22:09 PM CST
Several wedding blogs have mentioned that Chicago natives are looking for inexpensive and creative ways to celebrate that special day.
“People are looking for more options to explore,” said Molly Schemper who works for Fig Catering. But, Schemper said Fig’s traditional catering business has not decreased even though this new trend has arrived.
“We’ve actually increased every year,” Schemper said. “We haven’t noticed any differences since the food trucks have popped up.”
The Slide Ride, a food-truck service, has done several wedding events, and their business can be found under unique services on The Knot, a wedding planning website for Chicago brides.
“Sometimes they want us to do the late night snacks after the reception,” said Nida Rodriguez, owner of The Slide Glide food truck. “Sometimes they hire us to have appetizers in between the church service and the reception as well so their guests can have something to snack on while they wait.”
Rodriguez said The Slide Glide has even done full wedding receptions. A unique thing about her business is that the servers are on skates.
Netta Stella and Colleen Gallagher started Pecan and Charlie’s Mobile Cupcakery, their food truck business, four months ago. They said the trend is not only for weddings, but for party events as well.
“We did an office party for Halloween and the clients had two other food trucks there set up outside for people to come and get whatever they wanted,” Gallagher said.
Stella and Gallagher are scheduled to make cupcakes for a couple in late April. This will be their first wedding event.
“People want something fun and different.” Gallagher said. “I think that’s why they are choosing food trucks now.”
Bride-to-be Alison Bullock is planning her wedding for next spring, but she hadn’t thought of having a food truck to cater.
“The thought never crossed my mind but it sounds interesting,” she said. Bullock said it’s something she might consider, but her family wants a traditional reception. However, Bullock doesn’t want to cross the idea out totally.
“I definitely want to have cupcakes at my wedding,” she said. “Chicago has a lot of food trucks that I know serve really good desserts. I’m definitely open to that.”
“You can kind of do your own sampling by just walking up to the truck and tasting the different kinds,” she said.
That’s one of the benefits of using food trucks for catering, Gallagher said. “With a traditional catering service you have to schedule and make an appointment with a bakery and then go from there.” That’s not necessary with a food truck.
One of the stigmas brides have is that a food truck can’t accommodate large numbers.
Not so, said Stella. “One of our biggest events was for 500 people.”
An upside that sometimes is a determining factor for choosing a traditional caterer is for the staffing. “A lot of food trucks don’t coordinate rentals or have a staff with full service access,” Schemper said.
Rodriguez said they hire services to help out when they have to do full events with their food truck.
“It’s a great alternative to traditional catering that hasn’t always been there,” Rodriguez.
Food trucks are a unique way to include that “something new.”